Ghost in the Shell: SAC's Kenji Kamiyama Helms Gundam RG XARX-ZERO Anime in 2027

Bandai Namco Filmworks announced at San Diego Comic-Con International on Thursday that Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Star Wars: Visions' "The Ninth Jedi", Eden of the East), is directing the new Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO anime at Sola Animation for release next year. Kamiyama is also in charge of the series scripts, and Toh Enjoe (The Ghost in the Shell, Godzilla Singular Point, The Empire of Corpses) is collaborating on the world-building in the anime's science fiction setting.

The Gundam RG XARX-ZERO anime is part of the larger RG Project, "a next-generation Gundam initiative that expands the franchise into a new universe." The previously announced Gundam Rogue Orbit game is also headlining the project, although the game's story is set 90 years after the Gundam RG XARX-ZERO anime. (The "RG Project" is not to be confused with "Real Grade," an advanced level of model kits that Bandai sells for the overall Gundam franchise.) Kamiyama teased at San Diego that there are elements in the project besides the anime and the game.

Bandai Namco Filmworks introduces the new anime's story:

The three revelations delivered by the Autonomous Interstellar Object from another galaxy ushered in an age of unprecedented prosperity, allowing humanity to expand across the entire solar system.

Gravity Control. FTL Communication. Cognitive Materialization. Yet less than ten years after its discovery, the Object that had delivered these three revelations suddenly ran rampant, spawning an aggressive, self-proliferating ecosystem.

Humanity came to see this unknown ecosystem as the Apocalypse.

For three months, humanity fought the Apocalypse to a standstill in orbit above Earth. Forced to abandon the planet, humanity marked that year as A.A. 1—the first year After Apocalypse.

By A.A. 45, children born on the Moon and in space colonies have never known life without the Apocalypse.

And on the lunar surface, a boy named Ray Azumi awakens—

Kamiyama appeared in person at the Comic-Con International panel and confirmed in a separate message that the RG Project is set in a new timeline, separate from the first Gundam anime's Universal Century:

When I was approached with the idea of creating “a Gundam set in an entirely new timeline, one that is neither the Universal Century nor the Common Era,” I found myself wrestling with all sorts of questions. What would replace the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon? What would become of the Newtype concept? What about Minovsky particles? And where did war fit into all of this? The more I turned over the question of what fundamentally makes Gundam “Gundam,” the further I drifted from the creative excitement that should have been driving the project. So I stepped back and reminded myself: I had been given the chance to create my own Gundam from the ground up for a series I've loved for years. What could be more exciting than that? Once I found my way back to that excitement, a fresh and unexpected Gundam began to take shape. That Gundam is Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO.

Takeo Ōtsuka voices Ray Azumi, "the permanently assigned pilot of the Gundam Zero and war orphan who lost his parents in an Apocalypse attack." Otsuka presented a message about his casting:

It is a tremendous honor to be part of a new entry in the Gundam series. Director Kamiyama's story gave me plenty to think about with every episode, and I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge as I approached each recording session. I'm also incredibly excited to see how this project unfolds as a media-mix project spanning both anime and video games. I hope you'll look forward to Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO!

Eiichi Shimizu (Linebarrels of Iron), who created the 2011 Ultraman manga which Kamiyama adapted into several anime, is designing the Gundam units. Stato drafted the original character designs, and Miyako Takasu is adapting those designs for the animation's character designs and is serving as chief animation director. Gō Shiina (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, God Eater, Tales of Zestiria game) is composing the music. Joseph Chou and Yasufumi Kobashi producing.

Update: Added visual. Source: Email correspondence

Sources: GUNDAM Showcase 2026 – Unveil the Next Gundam panel at San Diego Comic-Con International, press release